Sunday, October 21, 2012

Review: Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he’s depending on Hartley to clear his name.
But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he’s innocent, and she’s the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school’s resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer’s next victim (goodreads).

Life's a bitch when your boyfriend cheats on you with the president of the Chasity Club, then said Chasity Club harlot is found dead and your boyfriend is the main suspect. Life's a bitch when you have to prove his innocence.

This book was HI-LARIOUS. Honestly, when I picked this up I didn't expect it to be a comedy, I just thought it would be your run of the mill Young Adult mystery. But with a relunctant heroine and a hilarious mystery, this book made me addicted!

The plot was very enticing, teenage girl finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her with a "virgin" cheerleader, the cheerleader is found dead and the boyfriend is on the run. I loved every minute of the investigation and the leads that Hartley received from her classmates. Halliday wrote a FUN murder-mystery, which seems like an odd combination but..it isn't. I kept guessing and guessing until the final reveal.

The characters were GREAT. They were all hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed Halliday's version of "Deep Throat." Hartley is a great conflicted character and Chase is just the sweetest Goth boy I ever did know! Al of the characters fit this story brilliantly and added to the carefree mood of the book.

I think the writing is what made this novel. Hartley's tone of voice is so sarcastic and so teenagery that it made this book easy to devour within a day. Halliday writes with amazing wit and I can't wait to start the sequel!